Panaji: Goa State Election Commission (SEC) started the process of delimitation of wards for elections in 11 municipal council bodies, which was likely to be scheduled in May. The election will be held on the new electoral roll published last month.The general election will be held in urban bodies, including Pernem, Valpoi, Bicholim, Mapusa, Mormugao, Margao, Cuncolim, Quepem, Canacona, Curchorem-Cacora and Sanguem municipal councils.The elections for six urban local bodies, Bicholim, Pernem, Valpoi, Cuncolim, Curchorem-Cacora, and Canacona, were held in March 2021, while those for Mapusa, Margao, Quepem, Sanguem and Mormugao were held in April 2021.SEC appointed an electoral registration officer (ERO) and an assistant electoral registration officer (AERO) to start the process. The SEC sought the new electoral roll from the Election Commission of India to start the process of dividing the voters into wards and checking the electorate in each ward. Once the electorate is divided, the delimitation process will start and reservation of wards will be announced.SEC was likely to complete the delimitation and reservation of wards at least 45 days before the elections were announced.At least half of the state’s population participates in the urban local bodies’ elections, making them an opportunity for political parties to test their strength on the ground ahead of the 2027 assembly polls, a political observer said, while maintaining that the outcome of the urban local bodies’ elections doesn’t need to reflect in the results of assembly elections. In the recently concluded zilla panchayat election, BJP won both the North and South Goa ZPs with alliance partners.
